Butter-can



(No Model.) '8

- J. E, LEVASSEUR.

BUTTER GAN- Patented Mal-.27, 1888.

"IIIII WTHESSES,

1 I I Y Nv PETERS Pimlo'uthn nflmr, Washinglon D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN EDWARD LE ASSEUR, or MONTIOELLO, IOWA, ASSlGNQR TO GREEN- LIEF W.SIMPSON, or SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUTTER-CAN.

SPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380,211 dated March2.7, 1888.

Application filed January 21,1888. Serial No. 261,446. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EDWARD LEVAS- sEUR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Monticello, in the county of Jones and Stateof Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Butter-Oans,ofwhich the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in butter-cans for the purpose ofhermetically sealing butter for transportation or otherwise; and it isparticularly designed and constructed in such a manner that the buttercan be packed in the can and the cover soldered to its top,to theexclusion of any air between thebutter and the sink-cover, as willhereinafte be more fully shown and described.

The invention is for the same purpose as that shown and described in theLetters Patent No. 205,309, granted June 25, 1878, to Greenlief W.Simpson, and is an improvement on the can shown and described in saidLetters Patent.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of my improvedbutter-can, and Fig. 2 represents a partial side elevation andlongitudinal section of the same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on thedrawings.

In packing butter in tin cans it is of the ut-.

most importance that all the air should be excluded from within the canwhen filled and when the cover is soldered to its top, so as to keep thebutter pure and sweet for an indefinite length of time, and toaccomplish this I construct my improved can as follows:

a is the cylindrical can, and a is its upper annular edge, which ispreferably made by being bent outward upon itself and against theoutside of the top of the can, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to form anincreased thickness at such upper edge; but this may, if so desired, beaccomplished by soldering a band around the outside of the top of thecan without departing from the essence of my invention. To the outsideof the upper annular edge, a, is soldered the metal band 6, having inits upper end an outwardly-flaring edge, I), in the same manner as shownand described in the Simpson patent above mentioned.

c is the sink-cover, the upper portion of which is adapted to fit snuglywithin the metal band b, as shown in Fig. 2, and said cover has in itsupper end an outwardly-flaring edge, 0, between which and the flaringedge I) of the band b is left a space sufficientv said'can a, as shownin Fig. 2. The can is then filled with butter up to near its top,afterwhich the sink-cover is introduced within the top of the can until thebottom of said cover rests on the butter within the can and the annularoffset 0 of the sink-cover rests against the top of the can, as shown inFig. 2. During such insertion and depression of the sinkcover any airthat may. exist Within the upper part of the can is forced upwardbetween the outside of the sink'cover and the interior of the metal bandb, after which the flaring edges b c ofthe upper portions of the metalband 11 and sink-cover 0, respectively, are

united and secured hermetically together by means of the molten solderd, as shown in Fig. 2, and in this manner no air is allowed to remainwithin the can,to-the injury and detriment of the butter.

When it is desired to open the can, all that is necessary to do is tostrip off the metal band b, by which the solder dis broken, after whichthe sink-cover 0 may be raised with ease, and

after any portion of the butter has been removed the cover may bereplaced in its original position from time to time, as may be required.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation ofmy invention, I

wish to secure by Letters Patent, and claim- The herein-describedbutter-can,having the metal band b soldered to its upper portion,saidband having an outwardly-flaring edge, I), in its upper end,combinedwith the sink-cover c,

adapted to fit the interior of the band b, and having an offset, 0",adapted to rest on the top edge of the can, a reduced lower portion, 0adapted to fit the interior upper portion of the can, and an upperflaring edge, 0, adapted to be united to the band b audits flaring edgeby means of solder 0r alloy (1, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speoifioation,in thepresence of two sub- 10 scribing witnesses, on this 13th day of Jannary, A. D. 1888.

JOHN EDWARD LEVASSEUR.

. Witnesses:

G. S. HOWARD, J. W. MERRILL.

